


A New Manhattan

by Aziquesa (Taruyison)



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types, Prototype (Video Games)
Genre: Alex is being an ass, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Assassin's Creed II, Blackwatch is pure evil, Blood and Violence, Crossover, Desmond is hurt, FanFiction.Net, Killing, Manhattan, Multi, Nobody is Dead, Non-Canon Relationship, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Out of Character, Rebecca is captured, Tags Contain Spoilers, Templars, but that's nothing new, damn these Blackwatch troopers, deleted old tags because they were spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-14
Updated: 2018-09-20
Packaged: 2019-01-06 03:09:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12202698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taruyison/pseuds/Aziquesa
Summary: Relationships are tested, rules are bent and broken, and lives are put on the line as two worlds collide. While Alex Mercer tries to find out who and what he is, Desmond Miles struggles to muster enough willpower to get back into the Animus. Will they find strength in each other, or will they both fall and destroy each other? [AU, possible upcoming romance, various pairings]





	1. Arrival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will play out somewhere in the early/middle of Prototype 1, and during middle/late AC2. I haven't put too much thought into the time difference between those games, so things could turn out a bit off further on. They sorta already are, but we don't have to think about that, do we? x)

Manhattan was on fire. Every block in the district was figuratively and literally in flames. Red, hot smoke erupted from more than a few buildings, and plain chaos inhabited the streets. The people were screaming out of sheer terror and ran in panic without further goal. They just wanted to get away. Away from whatever curse that was spreading rapidly throughout the city. The civilians ran while military groups fortified on the scene, putting bullets in anyone that looked the slightest suspicious. They fired their guns over and over, with little to no rest in between shots. The kills didn't please them the slightest however. Their eyes and firearms might've been focused on the many infected limping back and forth in the park in front of them, but their minds were in an entirely different place. More or less subconsciously, they were constantly scanning the environment for a bigger price. The price their boss called ZEUS. It was their key to success and a greatness they could only imagine. What they didn't know was that this  _'object'_  was far away from their location. Far away, both figuratively and literally.

**...**

"Desmond?!"

The said boy flinched at the calling of his name where he sat on a crate out in the hallway. A big yawn decorated his face as he slid down to the floor and headed to his left. He stopped in a doorway to inspect the room before him. To his right, pushed into the corner, were a big desk with loads of papers and folders neatly stacked in piles, post-it notes scrambled here and there, and a laptop. Desmond had always wondered why the brit used a laptop instead of a stationary PC. He would be able to surf the web so much faster with a more powerful computer. The said man was sitting on a rather uncomfortable-looking chair at the desk with his eyes focused on the screen. Desmond shifted his sight forward at the sound of rustling, and saw a raven-head searching through multiple drawers on the desk at the center of the room that she had claimed as hers. She mumbled while lifting papers, books and folders, and didn't seem to even have noticed Desmond coming in. He cleared his throat to get the female's attention.

"Rebecca, you called?" he asked curiously. Upon seeing her stressed expression when she looked up at him, his brows furrowed, and his stomach clenched. "What-" he started, but was interrupted by the opening of a door on the opposing side of the room. An equally distressed blonde entered and slammed the door shut behind her. "Desmond, there's no time. Pick what you need and get to the van" the blonde scolded as she hurriedly helped Rebecca find whatever she was searching for. Knowing he wouldn't get much information out of the two females in their state, he turned to face the Brit, but found him shoving down his laptop into a satchel. He had painted on the usual stern expression he always wore, but Desmond noticed a tension as he zipped the satchel close and threw it over his shoulder. He groaned silently and followed the older man out of the room, down two flights of stairs and up to their gray minivan. The girls weren't far behind and the four of them were soon seated.

"Mind telling me where we're headed now?" Desmond asked, a bit annoyed, when they were on the road a few minutes later. Both of the girls looked at him, then at each other, and then back at him. His stomach clenched again, and he frowned. "Lucy?" he demanded, glaring at her with a stern scowl. She frowned back and just said they had to go. Desmond snorted at this and looked away. He always got the same answer.  _We need to go, there's no time.' 'We need to keep hidden.' 'Hurry Desmond!'_  Always on the run and in need to hide. He threw a look in the rear-view mirror to try and catch a glimpse of the brit's expression. Nothing but those cold eyes focused on the road ahead. With a deep sigh, he gave up and settled down in his seat. His eyelids were suddenly heavy, and very soon, he had fallen into a peaceful sleep.

**...**

The sound of bone cracking resonated through the man's body as a fist collided with his back. He cried out loud in pain, but was cut off as the attacker grasped his forehead and jerked backwards, snapping his neck. A black blur then covered the man, and when it dispersed, there was no trace of the victim. Left was the attacker, on his knees, clutching his head as an agonizing pain scorched through him. Images flashed by his mind, merging with all the other memories he'd taken from those he had devoured. A loud groan slipped out through his gritted teeth. Soon enough the images started to fade, and he almost fell forward, but caught himself with his hands. Now on all fours on the ground, he panted and gazed upwards to spot a woman. All color had drained from her face, and her whole body was shaking. She had undoubtedly seen the entire episode. He swallowed a sigh as he pushed himself off the ground. His action woke her up from her frozen state, and she turned on her heels to run screaming from the scene as fast as she could. The military wouldn't mind her, though. She was acting just as crazy as everyone else in the district - running and screaming. That seemed to be the only thing people did nowadays. Ever since the outburst it had been all but calm in Manhattan. He let out a sigh and started walking east. He didn't really ever get physically tired, but his mind needed some rest, and there was no way he would be able to get that out here. But he knew one place, not far from his current position, where he could sit down and relax, if only for a minute.

Moments later he descended two flights of stairs before entering through the door to his sister's apartment. It was quiet, and he guessed she was asleep. With a sigh of relief he closed the door behind him and headed straight for the bedroom. The door was open, so he stepped in and immediately spotted a sleeping Dana in the bed. She had pulled the blanket up to her chin, and her face wore a peaceful expression. He noticed faint dark circles under her eyes and realized she must've been up for too long - maybe days - researching again. The corners of his mouth curved up ever so slightly, decorating his lips with the faintest smile, but it vanished immediately when the girl started fuzzing around in the bed. A wrinkle emerged between her eyebrows, and she hummed silently. He wondered if he should wake her up, but the next second she jerked upwards with a gasp. Her breathing was faster than usual, and her eyes darted back and forth, looking around the room. They eventually rested on him and her expression softened.

"Alex..." she mumbled and dragged her hand over her face, as if to rub off the remnants of her not-so-peaceful sleep. She turned toward him to put her feet down on the ground and rubbed her eyes before looking at him yet again. "What are you doing here?" she asked, a big yawn painting her face. He threw a meaningful glare toward the window. "A moment of silence" he stated. She didn't answer, but her expression told him she understood. Letting out a sigh, he turned and walked out of the room, aiming for the sofa in the living area. When he got seated, he took a moment to lean back and close his eyes, enjoying the peace. What he didn't know though was that it would be short-lived enough to make him in a bad mood yet again.

**...**

Desmond woke up by Lucy shouting his name. Curse this constant stressing and need to keep moving. Never stay in one place for too long. He wished it could just end. Just one moment of relaxation would be heaven after all this time. Running, running, running, never allowed to stand still. Hell, even when he was lying down he was running. Not as himself, of course, but as his distant relative - ancestor, to be precise - sprinting over rooftops and beating up any armed men that stood in his way. Why couldn't they use the same method in the real world anyway? He had picked up a few handy tricks through the Bleeding Effect.

His thoughts was interrupted by a tap on his shoulder. "You goin'a stand here all day n' risk getting Templars up your ass, or are ya coming with?" came Shaun's - the brit - voice in his ear. Desmond instinctively took a step away to look at the man, but he was already on his way marching up toward a steel door in the concrete wall. Looking around, Desmind noted that they had parked in an underground garage, or similar. Why always down below instead of high above? Didn't the cell service suck down here? Imagine how much better network they would have if they parked themselves on the top floor. Not that it would actually matter to him... How high was top floor..? Where were they...?

"Desmond!"

"Yea yea" he sighed and jogged after the others. As the door closed behind him, they were surrounded by darkness. "And no one thought about bringing some light? Wonderful!" came Shaun's sarcastic voice. Judging by the echo, Desmond figured they were in a quite large cellar room of some sort. A sudden scraping sound to his left caught his attention. "Matches...?" he mumbled. He didn't know if it was Lucy or Rebecca, but he could definitely hear one of the girls snort at his comment. "You got a better idea?" the brit asked sarcastically, barely a second before the faint light from a match lit up a small portion of the area where they stood.

"Why always in the basement?" Desmond sighed, defeated, and ignored the wise-ass comments from the others. They'd gone through that topic about a million times before, and he didn't need to hear it again. He just had to get his voice heard, so to speak. Rebecca was the one to break the silence after they'd finished the previous topic. "I'll be getting some groceries once we're set up here. Desmond can take some time off until I'm back". Relief! Maybe he could exit into the building and explore for once! He didn't get much of that nowadays. His excitement quickly faded when Lucy warned him about going out while there was still light outside.  _'There goes that'_ , he thought with an audible sigh. When was it gonna end? Would it ever? He could only hope to get a few moments alone before he'd be strapped back into the Animus later on.

**...**

_Rebecca's P.O.V._

She couldn't help but feel guilty when Desmond was held back from going out. She couldn't exactly put herself in his situation, but the thought of never getting to leave for a huff of fresh air pained her. She hurriedly collected her stuff and exited through the same door they entered. Trying to look as casual, she imagined herself being a citizen on her way home from another day at work. It felt strange, yet utterly freeing. Having a normal life in a city where no one knew her. What wouldn't she pay to get that right about now?  _'Certainly not Baby'_ , she thought with a huff. She would be foolish to think something like that would happen anytime soon.

It was about a ten minute walk to the store, and she quickly realized the severity of the chaos in the city. This district wasn't as bad as she'd read that others were, but the tension among the people walking the streets were growing on her. She subconsciously quickened her pace and flinched when she heard static static voice from a radio right beside her. Military...? She had tensed up so much she didn't even look where she was going. Struck with a slight panic, she fished up her phone from her pocket and unlocked it with trembling fingers. Her shoulders slouched with relief. The store was just around the corner of the building. She was just about to resume her walking when alarming shouts came from the radio. Static noise drained out most of what was said, but Rebecca could make out parts of it.

_"Alert ... points ... highval ... arget ... reque ... back ... Red Zone!"._

The Red Zone. She remembered reading something about the  _'zones'_  before packing up from their previous hideout. It was a necessary security measure, even if it scared her to no end. They would be able to remain hidden with all the chaos in the city, but now when she thought about it, she wondered if she'd rather be taken by the Templars than one of those  _'things'_. Pushing those thoughts out of her mind, she continued forward and around the corner of the building. Far up ahead she could see smoke erupting from one of the buildings. Chaos indeed. Pushing the door open, she focused her mind on getting what she needed and getting back to the others. Maybe this had been a bad idea after all.

**...**

_Dana's P.O.V._

Another big yawn painted Dana's face as she walked out of the bedroom. Her gaze fell to rest on the seemingly lifeless body slouching in her couch. Besides his pale skin and dark circles around his eyes, he looked to be at peace. The few times they actually met nowadays, Alex had always been sort of tense and always on the run, never stopping. To see him sitting with his head laid back and arms crossed over his chest ... sleeping? ... made the smallest of smiles creep onto her lips. It soothed her to see him calm for once. She began wondering though; why? Just two days ago he'd been hellbent on catching up to whoever did whatever they'd done to him. Nevertheless, she was glad to see him take it easy, even for just a moment.

She proceeded to the kitchen to prepare a meal when an explosion echoed from outside in the hallway. As fast as she was, Alex was faster. It barely took a second for her to back up and look around the corner to throw a glance at the door, but it was already flung wide open and her brother was nowhere to be found.

_**To be continued...** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry about this, but seriously, there is not enough fanfictions out there to satisfy my hunger for Mercer/Miles. Gotta say, I'm more of a sucker for Mercer/Ibn-La'Ahad, but-... Mercer/Miles is an easier genre to write about, since I don't have to mess with time traveling or "modern AU" that way. C:


	2. Meeting Point

The deafening silence was the first thing she became aware of. Her head was pounding, and she guessed she must've hit her head. ... On what? Scrolling through her memories, she tried to remember what had happened. Desmond... She had arrived in Manhattan together with Desmond, Shaun and Lucy. To get away from the Templars. Right, and she had went to the store to get supplies and groceries. Then what..? She couldn't remember. That must've been when she blacked out. A vague memory about a military radio also managed to press its way into her consciousness. But was she really conscious?

Rebecca's senses were slowly coming back to her, and as she moved her head, she could feel it was lying on something soft. Not pillow soft, but not exactly firm. As she pried her eyelids open, she was met by darkness. It was eerie how it didn't matter if her eyes were open or closed. In fact, it almost seemed brighter behind her closed eyelids... Her lower body was numb, but she could squirm enough to realize she was lying on her back. She was about to try out her voice by shouting when a blinding light made her eyes sting. Her arms instinctively reached up to cover her eyes, shielding them from the light. She heard a muffled voice to her left and tried to look who had spoke, but it was too bright. She blinked and squinted, trying to make something out, but to no use. She was forced to let her eyelids slid shut.

Where was she? Who had taken her, and what had happened? For now, when she was basically unable to either see, hear or move, she just prayed that whoever they were weren't out to hurt her.

**...**

Five...

Four...

Three...

Two...

One...

An hour. Rebecca had been gone for an hour when it was just a ten minute walk to the grocery store. They all were getting worried and Desmond was restlessly pacing back and forth in the big cellar room. It made the others uneasy, and Lucy finally spoke up. "Desmond-". She didn't get any further, for he stopped dead in his tracks and shot her a glare. He threw his arms in the air and spoke loud and clear, to make sure both of them heard.

"I don't wanna hear it! You keep telling me to hide, run, don't stop, we must go! But do you ever stop to think about yourselves? Do you have anything at all to protect yourselves with? And while we're on it - no, I won't sit down. I've been strapped to that god forsaken machine for months, and not once have I been outside to be able to see, smell or listen. Not once have I been allowed to go out, take a walk, be  _'normal'_. All I do is fight Templars that aren't even real. Templars that have been dead for over a hundred years. I'm done Lucy! I want out! I want to find Rebecca and do something good, out there in the  _'real'_  world. I'm done feeling useless!"

Shaun and Lucy just stared at him in awe. The silence that followed were tense and long. The two looked at each other, then back at Desmond. It was then he realized tears were streaming down his cheeks. He immediately turned his back against his comrades and hid his face in his hands. They must've thought he was a fool. A fool to have thought he would be let out, only because he wanted to.  _This was a fucking prison._  A prison that he would only be let out of when he'd finished his task. The task of finding the apple. The Piece of Eden that would save the world from the human race, and possibly even more. The destruction of Earth itself. The faith of the world was hanging on his shoulders, and he was only thinking about himself. He bluntly didn't care. He wanted out. More than anything, he wanted to feel fresh air in his lungs, soft grass under his bare feet, and the wind gently caressing his cheeks. He wanted freedom. Just a moment. A brief minute. Then he could go back. Back into the Animus and the memories buried in his DNA. The genetic memories of his ancestors. His ancestors-

His train of thought was interrupted by a hand laid softly on his shoulder. He flinched by the touch and looked up to see who it was. Lucy were looking back at him with a small, but gentle smile on her lips. Though her eyes mirrored both worry, anger and hurt. He was immediately struck with guilt. They were counting on him. Yet the thought of just one short moment out of the building was so utterly inviting. He couldn't figure out what Lucy was going to say. The restlessness were slowly eating him up from the inside, yet the guilt were almost overwhelming. She opened her mouth to speak when the faint sound of an explosion echoed through the apartment complex above them. Before Lucy had a chance to say anything more, Desmond was on the other side of the cellar and sprinting up the stairs that would lead him to whatever it was that had set it off.

**...**

_Alex's P.O.V._

Fury lashed within him as he cracked a man's neck with his bare hand. Throwing him aside, Alex turned to the remaining five that was pointing their rifles at him. One of them fiddled with the handle, hands trembling and shoulders tensing up. A sign of inexperience and fear. Unfortunate for the hunter - an opportunity for the hunted. He clenched his fists and lifted his head to meet the gaze of the supposed youngling. Time seemed to stop, and they all waited for the other to make the first move. The sound of distant, quickly approaching steps broke the silence. For Alex at least, the military soldiers didn't seem to hear a thing. Pity their lack of enhanced hearing. He didn't bother waiting to find out if it was a simple civilian heading home, or the backup they had called for before they ascended the four flights of stairs.

In one fluid motion, Alex burst forward and grabbed the heads of two soldiers, throwing them back with such force their necks snapped. The three pressed tight on the triggers of their rifles, peppering .223 caliber bullets into the body of their assaulter, blood splattering over the walls in the narrow hallway. Gritting his teeth, Alex withstood the stinging pain and reached for the two older's guns. They backed, but he was quick to grab the muzzles of their rifles and snap them in half with just the force of his thumbs. A frown decorated his face, and his eyes almost glowed with the rage that had filled him. Not even for a moment could he be left alone to sort out his tumbling thoughts. He jerked the weapons out of the men's trembling grips, twisted them in his hands and shoved them into their chests, clean through both armor, muscle and bone. The life quickly drained from their eyes as their blood stained the already ruined carpet.

The younger soldier was left standing when his comrades fell to the floor. His hands and legs were shaking as his body struggled against the complete terror that quickly filled him. He was going to die, then and there. Using the last ounce of courage he had left, he shoved his rifle against the man before him, hoping that he would stumble to the ground and brought up a knife from a holster strapped around his waist. Alex wasn't even the slightest amused to get the sharp object shoved into his stomach and reached out to grab the boy's arm before he could run. The supposed backup was now just around the corner, and he pulled the kid in to hold him tight against his chest. While his right arm was locked around the kid's throat hard enough to keep him in place, but soft enough not to strangle, his left hand went to rest on the right side of the kid's head. With one quick snap of his arm, Alex would break the youngling's neck, killing him instantly.

What he didn't expect to see was a man clothed in a white hoodie and dark blue jeans sprint around the corner. The moment he saw Alex, he froze in place.

**...**

_Desmond's P.O.V._

His heart pumped, blood and adrenaline rushing through his body as he ascended the stairs, three steps at a time. Bullets were going off and he felt the panic rise within him. Did the military actually just execute a dozen people?  _The military?_ No, it couldn't be...

_Don't let it be too late, don't let it be too late, don't let it be too late- It's too late. There's no more shooting. Please, let there be survivors..._

The thoughts kept spinning, making his chest feel like it was going to explode by how fast his heart was beating. He finally reached the top of the stairs, with his sixth sense guiding him around a corner, then sprinting through the hallway to round another corner. Then the blood froze in his veins. Five bodies, all in military clothing, two of them with their heads bent in a way that shouldn't even be possible, were sprawled out on the floor up ahead. Dark red blood splatter all over the walls and carpet, empty bullet casings spread out in a similar manner, and six rifles thrown carelessly on the floor. In the middle of it all stood a man, barely older than twenty-five, face and clothes covered in blood. Whether it was his own or the soldiers', Desmond didn't know. In fact, he didn't even care. All he knew was that his eyes were cold and hard, and they stared right at him.

Desmond wanted to run, as fast and far as he possibly could, but his mind quickly registered the military soldier held in a firm grip in front of the man. He saw terror in those bright green eyes. Rich streams of tears were running down his cheeks, and Desmond guessed he wasn't older than twenty. An image of Lucy's face flashed before his eyes, and a newfound courage spread through his body. He wouldn't let this poor kid die. Not with his whole life ahead of him. Just as he was about to take a step forward and tell the man to release the boy, those cold blue eyes flickered to something behind Desmond. Though hesitantly, he half turned to see what it was, but was met with the empty hallway. To his surprise, when he turned back he was also met with emptiness. The two men had vanished, as well as the bodies and the guns. All that witnessed that something had happened here at all was the bloodstains on the walls and carpet.

 _Was it all just imagination...?'_  he wondered, panic slowly rising within him. If this was a case of the Bleeding Effect, it was sure as hell a lot more realistic than every earlier experience. He was going mad. He would end up just like 16th. Clay Kaczmarek who had written cryptic messages with his own blood in his detaining cell. Desmond clutched his head at the thought. His heart pounded in his chest, and it was becoming harder to breath by every passing second. He was going mad. No no no no no no-

His eyes flung open wide when he heard the static noise from a military radio. Static, then a voice. In a mere second, Desmond had threw himself forward and kneeled over the bloodstained radio. He had totally missed it in the mess after the men had disappeared. With a shaky hand he carefully picked up the radio, as if scared that it would vanish by the touch. He held it up to his ear, hoping to catch anything that proved it wasn't just his imagination.

_"... edcrow ... elta-5 ... ubject ... Crane ... aptured ..."_

There was more being said after that, but he didn't bother listening. He had heard everything he needed to. Whoever was on the other end of the radio knew something about Rebecca. He was sure of it, and he was hellbent on finding out what. Hellbent to make sure he wasn't on the verge of insanity. To find Rebecca.

_**To be continued...** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really suck at this with ending chapters properly... This one is also a bit shorter than the first, but I felt like this was a good place. I have a basic plan made for this story - at least for a few chapters onward - and there will be a lot happening in the next one. If it folds out as I want it to.


	3. Alex to the Rescue

"Fool".

Alex wasn't one to speak his thoughts, but the scene before him basically prompted him to. The guy from the hallway earlier had found his way to the nearest military base and had tried to sneak in, without success. Surprisingly enough he had managed to knock out four men well on his way. Now he was being held by two Blackwatch troopers just outside the entrance of the facility. His lower lip was slit and bleeding after a punch from the trooper that had spotted him. He was shouting about some Rebecca and that they would pay for what they'd done. Yea, like they would give a crap about what he had to say.

Alex watched silently from where he was perched up on a nearby rooftop. With his enhanced senses, he could see and hear every detail of the meeting. Why was he here again? Because he'd heard radiochatter. Something had been disturbing the line that Blackwatch and the military communicated through during the last two days, and just a while ago, the main base had announced that they had found someone that could help. Someone new in town. How did he know this? He had a radio. Stolen from one of the many bodies he'd left behind. Together with experience, it was very useful when planning infiltrations or stealth attacks. Not that he'd done much of those recently...

"I'm gonna kill you!" he heard the guy shout at them. He actually managed to get loose from the ones holding him, and threw himself over the commander that questioned him. Alex expected to see him getting thrown right back, but the commander went completely limp under the guy. He then turned to the two troopers, but as he threw himself forward, one trooper caught his wrists and the other reached for his belt. Something in his hand reflected the low hanging sun, and Alex quickly recognized the object as a dagger. The guy grunted in pain when it was shoved into his side. The trooper released his wrists and he fell to his knees, pressing a hand against the wound. Alex sighed audibly. Wasn't Blackwatch the ones who was supposed to protect the citizens?

Tired of just standing by, he took a step forward, and the roof disappeared from under his feet.

**...**

_Desmond's P.O.V._

He wasn't sure how he did it. With only so much strength left and people shoving him away from them, he'd been sure he would collapse at any moment. But in some miraculous way he had managed to stumble back to the hideout. He didn't doubt a second that Lucy would be pissed at him, but he'd had his reasons. Not only had he heard the radiochatter, but he was also pissed at her too. That alone was enough reason to run away. Not necessarily to just get a moment away from her, but also the utterly ridiculous reason that he wanted to defy her. Bend the rules, break the laws, and get that rush. Ever since he ran away from the farm so long ago, it was always a thrill whenever he did something that wasn't allowed. It was incredibly childish, but he couldn't exactly help it. It was a bit of a guilty pleasure.

With a great deal of struggle and pain, he managed to push the heavy door open and staggered into the basement. Lucy and Shaun had obviously occupied themselves quite well with setting up tables, chairs and makeshift beds. Light in the form of three good old oil lamps were placed on each table. Lucy was at his side in a flash. He leaned against her, ignoring the constant blabber in his ear as she tried to convince him about how stupid and irresponsible he was. He just groaned for an answer. He already knew that it was stupid. Reckless even. Though, you would think Lucy would be at least a little grateful that he'd tried. Didn't she care about Rebecca? Weren't they like BFF's? Why didn't she support his attempt to do something good for once? Why was everything he ever did wrong to her? Why couldn't he just be  _enough?_

His thoughts came to a sudden stop when his gut wrenched, and he gagged. Pain scorched through his body, and he felt pearls of sweat form on his forehead. His vision was getting blurry, and the room was rocking him uncomfortably. What-...? Blood loss, he realized and leaned heavily against the table Lucy had dragged him to. Shaky legs gave in under his weight, and the floor hit him hard in the back of his head. Faint voices echoed through his ears, but he couldn't make out words.  _'Help'_ , he screamed internally, only hoping that he actually said the words out loud.  _'I don't want to die...'_

_Please... Not yet..._

**...**

_Dana's P.O.V._

The times Alex ever came for a visit he'd always been out for information. Since that time... She shuddered when she thought back on it. Since he had saved her from the Blackwatch, he had only came over to her hideout to get more information about his points of interests. Today though, he'd come over twice. Twice in one day, and not to get information, but to just ... stay. As much as it confused Dana, she was more than happy to have him here. They rarely got any time to talk these days. Though it was cautiously, she gladly straddled over to the couch where he was slumped and sat down beside him, a little more than an inch between them. He had his arms crossed over his chest, and legs stretched out in front of the sofa. His head was tilted back, eyes closed and chest heaved in a deep sigh. She flinched as she wasn't prepared for him to tilt his head toward her and open his eyes to look at her. She could've sworn he was sleeping.

"What?". Alex's voice was tired, annoyed even, and his gaze was hard. It frightened her... He seemed to have noticed this, because he looked away and sighed deeply. She couldn't figure out what was going on in that head of his, but he sat with his head hanging, staring at his shoes for a long moment. When he looked up at her again, his eyes mirrored ... something close enough to guilt. She cracked a smile at him. Dana wasn't sure what exactly she wanted to say at that moment, but the silence were ripping at her patience. Eventually, she put her mind to the only thing she could come up with - the thing that she was actually interested in knowing.

"What's going on out there?" she asked, brows slightly furrowed. His expression shifted to one of annoyance and he gave off a quiet snort. "Shit. That's what's going on..." he muttered. She didn't doubt that the slightest. She constantly heard people screaming outside, and whenever she looked out, there was plain chaos all over the streets. Not exactly in the immediate area around the block, but she could see the smoke and hear the screams.

His eyes shifted to stare at his feet again and Dana could see the anger build up in him. Alex had been out there, and Dana could only guess how much he'd been through. What horrible things he'd seen. His hands clenched into fists, and the next words he spoke were filled to the brim with venom, "Blackwatch hurt someone". This shocked Dana, and she stared at him like he'd gone mad. Blackwatch? But they were hired to protect the people. They only shot the infected. Only the ones with symptoms. She couldn't help the words from slipping out between her lips, "But he-he was infected, right?". He must've heard the fear in her voice, for he looked up at her with a concerned expression. Or was he just concerned about the Blackwatch murdering people? His answer to that made her blood curl.

"No. He wasn't"

"What?! Why would they shoot someone healthy?!"

"Stab. And cause he was being a dick". The salt in his voice made her want to slap him there and then, but she had a feeling there was something more to it. She didn't have to wait long before he let out another sigh and resumed his explanation. "He'd knocked out four troopers and were wailing about some Rebecca" he said, clearly uninterested in the reason behind it. Dana didn't say anything at first, hoping that he would continue on his own. Her better judgment knew he wouldn't though. Alex had never been one for talking. Neither smalltalk or something serious as this. He simply wasn't a social person. Dana was intrigued by this 'Rebecca' however, and wanted to know more details about the person screaming at a Blackwatch soldier. She knew Alex would quickly grow tired if she were to question him though. He was a very good example of the term 'fight-or-flight'.

She got up from the couch and walked over to the table shoved into a corner on the other side of the room. Stacks of papers and magazines were lined up along the wall, and there were a few pens and pencils scattered among them. In the center was Dana's laptop. She sat down in the chair and lifted the lid. The screen immediately lit up. She almost gagged at the sight of what she last had researched. A - more or less - man with a face that looked like melted tar, eyes bloodshot and empty. Swollen, darkened lumps of skin over his neck and shoulders. Thick strands of saliva dripping from its mouth.  _'It...?'_

Dana quickly closed the article and swallowed a gag. She was over her head with relief to have gotten something else to research. Her fingers danced over the keyboard as she dug into Gentek's most secret files. They truly would have to better their online security systems. The one they had was trash. Anyone with enough skill could easily get their hands and eyes on these files. They were basically public. At least in Dana's mind. She realized she had learned quite a lot through her days, and as a matter of fact, she was hacking through the walls of New York City's possibly most complex security system.  _'Whoops...'_  Guess they weren't that public after all.

After a bit of digging, she found an encrypted audio file - "CRANE-HV0646-1". Clearly something of interest when it was so highly protected. "Alex, you might wanna hear this" she called out, her eyes still glued on the screen. She swiftly decoded the file and opened it.

_"Alert all points! Possible High-Value target spotted! Requesting backup to the Red Zone!"_

A short break...

_"Red Crown, this is Delta-5. Subject, codename: Crane has been captured and secured."_

_"Delta-5, assemble and report immediately. Subject is to be prepared for transport. Be quick with this one. Another failure and you're out Sergeant!"_

_"Rodger Sir. Delta-5 out."_

Dana almost jumped out of her chair when she heard a silent grunt in her ear. Alex had shifted from the couch to stand behind her without a sound. It was eerie how he was able to be so quiet. She sometimes caught herself wondering if he even breathed anymore. Of course he did, he was human. Right...? She quickly pushed the thought out of her mind and focused on her brother. He had a scowl on his face - which, by the way, seemed to be the only expression he was truly capable of - and his hands were clenched into fists at his sides. She saw the twitch in his muscles right before he turned, and she was quickly on her feet and reached out to grab his arm.

"Alex" she demanded. He stopped dead in his tracks when she touched him and whipped his head around to look at her with a glare that could kill. Suddenly hesitant, she let go of him. Her stomach clenched uncomfortably, and she contemplated long and hard if she dared say anything more to him. Her lips parted slightly, but before she could utter a word, he was already on his way out. "Be careful..." she whispered just as the door closed behind him. Something had happened to him out there. Dana and Alex might not have been very close before all this chaos, but he had never been ... scary. It was something she admitted with a heavy heart. She was frightened of her own brother.

**...**

_Alex's P.O.V._

It wasn't hard to get the information he needed to proceed with his more or less self-assigned task. Or, at least, it shouldn't have been. It would've been a piece of cake if he'd been in his right mindset. His sister's terrified expression kept flashing before his eyes, distracting him from reality. He'd scared her. And he didn't know if she'd forgive him. For what he'd done or for what he was about to do. He already knew what her thoughts was about killing and hurting. Her reaction when he admitted that the guy wasn't infected had proven him very right; definite distaste. The reason that the guy had been at the base at all hadn't been clear to Alex until now though. The conversation from the audio file wasn't unfamiliar to him. He'd heard it over the radio before, but didn't pay much attention until Dana had pointed it out as valuable information. He could only hope that she'd trust him after this...

It was simple. Get in, get the girl, get out. Though, with his thoughts swarming all over the place, he was distracted enough to accidentally bump into a marine outside the base he was about to infiltrate. The soldier's harsh tone and smug face plucked a nerve in him, and Alex had to clench his fists at his sides to resist the urge to punch right back when the soldier pushed him away. As politely as he could possibly muster - which wasn't especially polite at all - he apologized with a tense nod, and was relieved to see the soldier continue his patrol, though hesitantly. He barely managed to suppress a groan of annoyance when the commander called out to his men to "gather 'round". It was a short briefing, but informational enough for Alex to piece together where the  _'subject'_  was being held. He was pointed out together with two other marines to relieve the watch inside.  _'Smooth'_ , he thought. Finally, something was going according to plan.

"'Avn't seen yer face befo'. Ye new 'ere?" one of the soldiers said suddenly when they were walking through a hallway inside the facility. His bright green eyes studied Alex with great interest. It was not that he wasn't used to being inspected or interrogated, but something with that gaze made him uncomfortable. He pushed back the urge to squirm, and settled with giving a slight nod. "Fresh outta college" he lied and kept his gaze focused ahead - he did not feel any need to meet that gaze anytime soon. The man gave an acknowledging grunt before plowing on, "Yer nat from 'ere then? What school did ye study at? Must've been harsh getting sent in the chaos first thing eh?".

"Med-school. Though I always wanted to be a soldier. Do my duty n' save the world". He shrugged and the marine nodded thoughtfully. "Yer a good lad, son" he said softly, giving a light tap with his palm on Alex's shoulder. He wouldn't realize until much later how true those words were to him. Or rather, how true they would become.

_**To be continued...** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had such a hard time wrapping this up. It rolled smoothly along the whole chapter, then I got to Alex and my mind kinda just froze. Temporary writers block, but after an hour of Prototype gameplay I managed to get the last two paragraphs together. Chapter four is already in the works and should come along smoothly.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! A comment and some kudos makes an author happy!  
> See you soon! xoxo


	4. Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I came to realize that the last chapter didn't make a lot sense in the matter why Alex didn't have his head in the game. I went ahead and edited the first two paragraphs of the last part (as of September 26th). I strongly recommend you to go back and re-read it, so you don't miss anything. You don't have to, of course, but I mean ... the rest of the story will make more sense if you check it out. So, do that. Now. Shoo.
> 
> If you've already read the updated part, read on and enjoy!

After a few more increasingly intimate questions, they finally arrived at the watch station. Alex was on the verge to punch them all flat in the face just to shut them up and get rid of them, but he knew all too well what the consequences were for such an action. He'd have to keep his cool until the time was right, and this wasn't it. He had to get a bit further before he could lash out on people. Wait for the other marines to get out, knock out his squad, take a few more turns, then the door to the right. It would probably be heavily guarded through the entire facility, so the choices were to act like the soldier he was disguised as, or knock them all out. Once he had found the girl, he'd be totally fine with blowing this entire place to bits. It was loud, crowded and literally in the way of every plan he made. Whose idea was it to place a base in the middle of the island anyway?

That thought made the decision for him. As soon as the other team had left the site, Alex shoved the butt of his rifle into the face on the marine on his right with such force he was sure he heard bone cracking. The soldier bent forward, gripping his nose and cried in pain. Alex took this opportunity to jab his elbow into the back of his head, effectively knocking him out. The other man had froze in shock, but now had his gun pointed at Alex. For a brief second, the soldier stared at him, apparently hesitant on what to do and what the consequences would be to his eventual actions. The ice blue eyes hadn't looked away from the hallway ahead, but when they did, the man froze again. Horrible mistake. A fist punched him straight in the face, breaking his nose and knocking him out flat. "Amateurs" he grumbled and turned away from the scene.

Only to be met with two more marines with their guns pointed at him. Alex looked at each one of them, contemplating his choices. He decided to go for the most entertaining result and opened his mouth to speak. They opened fire before he had a chance to explain though. Bullets peppered into his abdomen, dark blood splattering over the floor and walls. He staggered backwards a step and gritted his teeth to withstand the excruciating pain. They kept their fingers pressed on the trigger for a few long seconds, and when they finally stopped, he fell to his knees. Panting and wheezing he looked up at them with a glare that could kill. Quick as a snake jabbing at its prey, Alex was on his feet and gripped their throats, lifting them both from the ground. The rifles dropped with a clang and they were knocked unconscious as their assaulter jabbed their heads together. He dropped them unceremoniously and walked away without looking back. Time to get what he came for.

**...**

_Rebecca's P.O.V._

As her conscience slowly resurfaced, she was prepared for what she knew would come. The stinging of a needle in her arm and the throbbing silence in her head. But it never came. She waited - patiently as she could be - for it to come. But it never did. Surprise slowly overwhelmed her, and she dared crack an eye open to check her surroundings. The first thing she saw was light. Not the blinding light from earlier, but a warm, natural light, as from the cowering sun hanging just above the horizon. She dared open the other eye as well and became aware that she wasn't anymore strapped down to a cold, hard bench. As her senses slowly came back, she felt something hold the back of her knees firmly, as if she would fall if the support wasn't there. Her vision and sense of positioning flowed through her in the speed of light, and she became aware that the world was rocking her. The sun blinded her where it studied her between two buildings. Wait, buildings? She didn't remember ever getting out of the darkness. Had it all just been a dream?

Her gut suddenly turned outside in, and she gagged. The grip at the back of her knees disappeared and something hit her side when the world shifted. Awareness flowed her back to reality when her stomach wrenched and throbbed as it emptied its contents the same way it had once entered. She coughed and panted once she was finished and lifted her head to see where the hell she was. Her eyes registered concrete, metal - a rooftop. What was she doing on a rooftop? How did she get here in the first place? A creeping feeling in her neck told her someone was looking at her and she whirled around to sit on her bum, leaning back on her forearms. Before her stood a man. He was dressed in a black jacket made from a material that looked very much like leather, two horizontal white lines around each of his upper arms. Under the jacket was a gray hoodie, and she could hint a white button-up under it. Accompanied with this was gray jeans and black sneakers. It was lazily worn, hood over his head to shade most of his face. From where she was sitting however, she could see his icy blue eyes staring her down from top to toe. Who was he? He was ... handsome.

She was just about to open her mouth to ask him, but he was quicker. "Get up" he said plainly. His voice were dark, almost ragged, and it sent a shiver down her spine. If she was ever frightened before seeing him, before hearing him speak, she was now clearly terrified out of her guts. Yet, something deep within sparked to life. Something warm and playful was skittering about in her stomach. Then it reached up to her chest. Every muscle in her body that could've been tense were suddenly relaxed. He didn't have to ask twice. She rose to her feet on unsteady legs too fast, and her head went for a spin, knocking out her vision. Instinctively, her hands reached out for whatever she could grab to keep herself from falling. She pulled herself in before she could stagger, and her chin was pressed against the cold surface of a leather jacket. It smelled of gunpowder, smoke, sweat, blood and leather, of course. She stayed like that for a good moment, inhaling the scent like it was sugary candy.

Her mind then caught up with her actions and she released her grip and staggered backwards. Her cheeks heated and she looked away in a try to avoid the awkward stare she knew she would get. With her arms crossed over her chest she stammered up a silent apology, and an awkward silence followed. A second felt like hours, and when he finally spoke, his voice was harsh and cold, as if he'd lost all means of emotion. "Come on" he said. Her gut clenched uncomfortably when she looked up to see his backside. He was walking away, and after a brief inspection of her surroundings, she realized there was no other choice but to follow him - a _wkward_.

**...**

Shaun and Lucy had been lashing out at each other for quite some time when they heard the door open. They both turned, ready to face whatever Templar that had found their hideout. Though, the tension quickly shifted to relief when they saw it was Rebecca who stood in the opening. Lucy froze for about a second before both of the girls sprinted toward each other. The embrace was tight and full of both love, concern and other emotions. They pulled away from each other, and Lucy immediately started questioning the other. Rebecca interrupted with a genuine laugh.

"I'm okay Luce, promise" she reassured her friend with a bright smile. She was about to start rambling about whatever came to mind, when her eyes came to rest on a figure on one of the mattresses on the floor. Her smile vanished when she recognized the man as Desmond. She gave a short gasp and hurried over to him. The bloodied bandage around his waist was the first thing she noticed and she instinctively checked his pulse. It was weak, but steady. "What happened to him?" she mumbled, almost inaudibly. The three Assassins were surprised to hear a fourth voice answer her question.

"Blackwatch"

They turned to the door, again ready to take on the Templar. The man standing in the shadows of the door frame didn't strike them as a typical threat, but Lucy felt a shiver trail down her spine upon seeing those icy blue eyes. They looked at something behind her, but she couldn't deny the uneasiness that whelmed over her. They were cold, almost empty of any emotion, and seemed ... hungry. It made the blood curl in her veins, heart pumping adrenaline through every part of her body. Being scared was nothing new to her, but this- This was something else. Something new. Something foreign...

She flinched when his gaze shifted and eyes narrowed, as if he was concerned over what he saw. Concerned or not, he wasn't welcome here. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides and she was about to march up and confront him, but he turned his back to them and closed the door. Shit, what if he was a Templar? Now everyone would know where they were. They had to get away, and quickly so. She turned and opened her mouth to speak, but her words vaporized when she saw the look on Rebecca's face. Her cheeks were flushed with a faint red and her chin rested in her palm. The light gray eyes intensely focused on Desmond's bandages, as if she was trying to heal the wound with just her gaze. She was apparently flustered and in deep thought. When Lucy laid a hand on her upper arm, she flinched and her eyes darted up to meet Lucy's.

"He saved me.." she whispered almost inaudibly. Lucy slowly shook her head in confusion. "That man. He rescued me from the ones that had me captured, I-". Before Rebecca could say anything more they noticed Desmond squirm beside them. Brown eyes blinked open and he sat up with a grunt of pain. Shaun was suddenly at his side, a hand on his shoulder and told him he wasn't fit to run about yet. Lucy furrowed her brows with concern, but was distracted from whatever she was about to say when Rebecca pulled her by the arm.

"I have to find him" she said when they were out of earshot from the guys. Lucy was confused at first, but quickly realized what her friend was talking about. "That freak?! You can't be serious?" she retorted, voice low, but harsh enough that the raven head would hopefully reconsider. "But I am Luce! That _man_ got me out of whatever place I was being held in. I never thanked him-"

"Are you listening to yourself Bec? That guy gives me the creeps, and you want to- To find him?"

"You weren't out there Lucy. You weren't captured by the Templars. Or... Black-whatever. I was, and I am so glad that I'm not pumped with needles anymore" she half chuckled, half weeped. To this, Lucy didn't have an answer. She just stared at her friend with jaw dropped open and a hand over her mouth. "N-needles-..? The fuck are you-"

"You heard right Lucy. Needles- And I will _not_ go about my day pretending it didn't happen. It did, and I need to thank him". Rebecca was hellbent on finding this guy, Lucy could see that. But no matter what anyone said, she had a bad feeling about him. Her gut clenched almost painfully at the thought of seeing - or worse; meeting - him again. She shuddered at the memory of those cold eyes. But Rebecca was her friend, and she knew there was no talking her out of something once she had put her mind to it. "Okay" she said hesitantly. The raven head shone up visibly, eyes sparkling and a smile that went from ear to ear. "But I'm coming with you. I have a bad feeling about this guy..."

"You get bad feelings about everything, Luce. Chill out girl. Besides, I think he knows something"

"You don't say..." Lucy mumbled, glaring at the door accusingly. He knew where their hideout were, and they hadn't even met before. Either he had contacts in high places, or Desmond had called them out when 'exploring'. It never occurred to her that it could also have been Rebecca that told him in order to bring her back safely. She had already decided that the guy was dangerous, and the sooner they got rid of him, the better.

_**To be continued...** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would want to write a few more paragraphs on this, but I have an idea on how I want the next chapter to roll out. So this is as good place as any to end it. Hope you enjoyed, and see you next time!


	5. Feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After writing this I realized how rude I made Lucy sound. I didn't intend to, and I honestly don't like Desmond and Lucy fighting, so I'll try clearing it up during the next few chapters. Hope you enjoy anyway, and please let me know if there's anything else on your mind!

Desmond felt groggy at first, and didn't remember much of what had happened, but after a quick briefing from the girls and a snide comment from Shaun, he soon freshened up enough to get the memories rolling in his head. They had arrived to Manhattan with their minivan - how they did was still a question without an answer - Rebecca went missing after heading to the store - they still hadn't gotten the groceries they needed, by the way - and then there was the distant sound of a grenade going off a few floors above. Desmond had went to investigate and found the creepy guy in the hallway. He still wondered where he had went and how he could be so quiet. It was all rather surreal. Then the radio. A brief conversation - or perhaps monologue was a better word - that had mentioned Rebecca's last name. Stupid as he was, he had headed out the door and scrambled over the rooftop like he was some goddamn superhero, and actually managed to find what he was looking for. In the haze of his anger, he'd knocked the first four unconscious, but made the grave mistake of trying to attack someone who'd already spotted him. The result was one dead commander and a wound from a dagger in his left side. He still didn't know if he'd been lucky or the marine had been an amateur. Desmond doubted the possibility that he'd been stabbed, then left to bleed out on the pavement. They couldn't possibly be that cruel. Could they?

His train of thought was interrupted by Lucy's scolding voice, "Now that you're up and about, would you care to share what the hell you were doing out there?". She was standing with her arms crossed over her chest in front of him, brows furrowed and lips curled in a frown. She was visibly pissed, and didn't show even an ounce of either concern or gratitude. Desmond scowled at this and opened his mouth to protest. Before he could form words though, she interrupted by more scolding, "You are the last person with a connection to Ezio. If you die out there, we have no way to access the genetic memories of your ancestor". This silenced Desmond, as he had no idea how to respond. What Lucy said was true, and he had nothing to counter with. Except...

"We need Rebecca to run the Animus. Or did she teach you how to set it up?" he said sternly. Now it was Lucy's turn to glare. She pressed her lips together into a thin line, and her bright blue eyes seemed to stare into his very soul. But he wouldn't back off. He knew he was right, just as much as she were. For a long moment, they glared at each other, but eventually Lucy growled and turned her back to him. She grumbled something under her breath, but Desmond wasn't interested in hearing it. He looked away when Rebecca walked up to the other girl, and they started whispering to each other. He pushed them out of his conscience and inhaled deeply. The pain was already throbbing in his side, but he didn't want to lay on a mattress all day. The effort would be a test of his pain threshold, no doubt. He braced himself, held his breath and pushed himself up on his feet. A groan slipped through gritted teeth and the room went for a spin, but he managed to keep standing until his vision cleared again. The pain was pounding in his side. Bad idea to get up before he was fully healed.

Now that he was back up on his feet he heard a loud rumble from the depth of his abdomen. Damn, he couldn't even remember the last time he ate. And Rebecca hadn't possibly gotten any groceries with her after getting halued in by Templars. Speaking about, he'd have to ask how she got away from them later on. Right now, the priority was to get food. If not... Lucy would most surely want him back inside the Animus. She always wanted him inside that godforsaken machine. Not a moment of calm and rest. Not even with a fucking bandage covering half of his torso would he be allowed to take a break. It was driving him sick how hellbent Lucy was on getting him to keep working. He hated it. He hoped she'd calmed down after his little rant last night, but doubted it had been enough. Nothing was enough for that woman. Not him, not his actions, not his attempts to do something good. The only thing that seemed to be enough for her was Rebecca. Rebecca that  _he_  had tried to save. That  _he_  had searched for and gotten stabbed for. He'd literally risked his life for her. And all Lucy could do was to glare and yell at him like he was some damn object for her to rage out on. Alright, he could see her point about him being the last in his bloodline, but was that really such a reason to call him out and hate him? Goddamn if he knew. They'd have to talk once she'd calmed down again. If she would.

He had walked absently while rummaging through his thoughts, and now realized he was standing in front of the Animus. He frowned and looked down at it like he'd looked at Lucy only a minute ago. His hand subconsciously reached up to touch his wound, flinching as he did. He suddenly became aware of how incredibly realistic his experience in the Animus was. He felt every step his ancestor took - every breath was synchronized. Every wound his ancestor received hurt him like it was himself who got them. He knew it wasn't real; just his imagination and the realism of the machine playing tricks on him. Yet he hesitated. Now that he remembered how it was like, and proof how it felt to get hurt for real, he hesitated to enter. He didn't want to feel more pain. Didn't dare to think about what memories might be up next.

As if he'd heard Desmond's thoughts, the ghostly holographic image of his ancestor appeared on the other side of the Animus. They both looked up and their gazes met. He felt tears burn behind his eyelids upon seeing the kindness in those eyes. "I'm sorry Ezio" he whispered inaudibly. The image of his ancestor shook his head and smiled brightly. The bronze colored eyes had delivered the message before he even opened his mouth, but Desmond listened intently to what his ancestor had to say.

_"There is no need to rush, Desmond. I will be waiting for you when you are ready"_

The heavy Italian accent soothed his nerves better than any booze could manage, and he relaxed where he stood. "Thank you" he mouthed, and Ezio smiled again before the hologram vaporized, leaving Desmond to stare into nothingness. With newfound strength, he turned to give another rant about how he felt, but found that neither of the girls were anywhere to be found. Shaun was bent over some documents at one of the tables, and the only one present in the dimly lit cellar room - apart from Desmond. With nothing else to do, he might as well see what the brit was researching.

**...**

_Rebecca's P.O.V._

"You're not seriously proposing we need the rooftops to find this guy?" Lucy said as they were on their way back toward the hideout. They'd left shortly after Desmond had woke up, not just to get groceries, but also to get a break from the boys. Rebecca didn't really grow tired of Shaun's attitude, but Lucy certainly did, and she had to admit that he was being kind of an ass sometimes. But that was Shaun, and she didn't blame him for it. As for Desmond, he needed both mental and physical rest, so it was better if they left to leave him to his thoughts. Him and Lucy wasn't on very good terms right now. So Becca had made the decision to take her friend out for a walk and some general girl-time together. "I'm saying we should check it out. It's where I woke up after he'd broke me out, and to tell you the truth, I think it's where he'd be holding up" Rebecca answered casually to Lucy's question. "Besides, I've been longing to do something thrilling, and this might just be the chance I've been looking for".

They soon pulled the doors open to the lobby in the apartment complex they were currently residing in. The whole building was mainly abandoned except for a few residents in the top floors that still dared to stay, or was simply too sick or too old to move out. The chaos that had broken out in the city was kept in control by the military, and while Rebecca was grateful for that, she didn't doubt a second that they hid information on purpose to keep the citizens from raving havoc. Though it might be a thrill to do something a little bit dangerous then and now, what they would face in this city was beyond her imagination. She had a clue, but she didn't want to dig deeper than she'd already done. If she got too worked up with anything that troubled her, she wouldn't be able to focus on what was important, and the whole expedition could crash. She had to take care of Baby, and make sure Desmond didn't go under for too long at a time.

They had ascended the stairs and reached a metal door. It opened without complaints and they exited onto the rooftop and inhaled the sweet, fresh air. Up here, things were so much clearer. Rebecca could totally see why the guy from earlier preferred the roofs over the streets. It was cleaner up here, both under their feet and in the air, especially now at dawn. She made a mental note that she'd have to ask for his name. Just calling him _'the guy'_ wouldn't work out in the long run.

**...**

Only two flights below, the said man slammed the door shut to his sister's hideout. Pieces of the puzzle was starting to fall into place, and he was aware of how inconvenient the situation were - for all of them. Why were they here? Where did they come from? Why in the basement with just emergency supplies and limited connection to the outside? Something was off about them, and he didn't like it one bit. He didn't like most things in this godforsaken city, but he could blame most of that on Blackwatch or the infected. Having people in the basement was a whole other thing. He'd have to keep an eye on them, whether he liked it or not.

Dana was sitting at her desk with a sandwich in her hand, reading something on her laptop. As Alex stepped closer he noticed she had earbuds in, and didn't hear him coming. Upon closer inspection, he realized the contents of the screen was moving, and it was definitely not just rows and rows of text. She was watching a movie. Why was she watching movies when there were four strangers cramped up in their basement? For some reason he couldn't explain, this enraged Alex to the point where he couldn't hold back the urge to punch something. He didn't exactly think clearly, so where his clenched fist landed didn't occur to him until he exhaled deeply in an attempt to calm himself. He quickly noted that he'd punched a hole in the wall to his right before pulling his hand back and diverting his attention back to his sister. She was looking up at him from where she sat, eyes wide and with the earbuds in her hand that didn't hold the sandwich. He met her shocked gaze with his own cold blue, and she flinched visibly. This sparked emotion to life within him, and he had to look away and turned on his heel. He started pacing back and forth in front of the sofa. He would have to get his head in order before he could try to speak his mind. Whyever he wanted to do that...

He stopped momentarily when he heard the barely audible shuffle of fabric that indicated Dana had rose from the chair. His eyes flickered over to her, but quickly reverted back to his feet when he saw her expression. Why was he so goddamn weak for this woman. A subconscious thought - instinct maybe - that even if he'd changed drastically, she hadn't, as she still saw him as her brother. That was the only logical explanation he could think of.

"The girl is safe" he mustered. He could hint the tiny smile on her lips before his legs forced him to keep moving. He was restless and concerned, not to mention the remnants of all the previous anger was still lingering at the back of his mind. Anything, and it could explode - fill him with a rage that wouldn't be filled until his bloodthirst had been settled. Bloodthirst? Now, what exactly was his mind trying to tell him? He had enough as it was, and didn't need himself to think he was going crazy too. Or, maybe he already was. He wouldn't be surprised. A whole lot of shit had happened during the last few days, and before that, he didn't remember a thing. His name, but that was it. As surprising as it was, it didn't bother him. It should, shouldn't it? He didn't know. He didn't care. Should he care? The questions kept coming and it made an agonizing ache start pounding in his head. He reached up with one hand to rub his temple and sighed in annoyance.

"The guy is alright" he rambled on and noticed his sister's tension ease up a bit. Maybe talking was the trick to get her to trust him again? Worth a shot. "They're both okay. They, uhh, have two other's in their group. They hide out in the basement". Dana's expression had softened ever so slightly by every word he'd said this far, but at the mentioning of the basement, she stiffened. So, he probably shouldn't have mentioned that, for whatever reason. He allowed himself to think back and an image of the girl's face flashed before his eyes. Black hair, tanned skin - especially compared to him - and gray eyes that seemed to look right through him. He would've shuddered at the thought if it weren't for that he was busy with pacing.

"This Rebecca... She looked at me like... Like I was some kind of ... hero ... to her" he said after a pause. There was more to it, but he didn't know how to put it, or what words to use. He'd never been good at talking, and probably never would. He-

"Probably because she was really grateful" Dana said softly before he could finish his thoughts. Once again, he stopped momentarily to glance at her. She seemed more at ease now, and was looking at him with a genuine smile. "Thank you, Alex, for saving her". He turned slightly to get a better look at her. "You did something good today, and you should be proud of that" she continued, a warm smile painting her face. It lit up her features in a way that he couldn't explain. He didn't find any reason to care about _'why'_ though. It simply was, and he was fine with that. He felt like he was beginning to get on good terms with his sister again, and that was one of the few things he bothered to care about. For the moment, he was satisfied with how things were.

The very faint, yet existing smile that curved the corner of his mouth ever so slightly when he sat down in the sofa felt interestingly pleasant. His mind wasn't anymore raging with thoughts that might or might not have been his own, and the anger had stilled. He wasn't sure how long it would last, but he had decided to enjoy the moment. For just a while, he felt content with the situation. He was sitting in the sofa with his sister beside him, and she was telling him about different scenarios from the movies she'd watched recently. He wasn't sure if recently was the last week or the last year, but again, this didn't bother him. Not until she came to the scene with four friends in a basement. His lips curled into a frown and he was on his feet in a blink.

His hand was just about to turn the handle when he remembered. He turned his head to look at Dana and said, "Places to be, sorry", then headed out and closed the door behind him.

_**To be continued...** _


	6. Frail Thoughts

In 2.3 seconds, Alex had made it up the two flights of stairs, but stopped dead in his tracks with his hand hovering above the door handle. His gut told him something was up and he focused his hearing. Two voices, female and female. They were arguing about something. A guy... He suddenly recognized one of the voices as the girl he'd rescued from Blackwatch yesterday. What was she doing here? He blinked. They were talking about him. It occurred to him that now would either be a good time as any to introduce himself, or it would be a horrible timing. He contemplated his choices, calculated the possible consequences, and realized he didn't care either way. What did it matter that they hated him? He could just rip them to shreds and wipe them from existence if they proved to be a problem. The decision was made, and he pushed down the handle and exited into the light of the dawning sun.

Two pair of eyes were immediately turned to him, and he looked right back. The deep gray ones carried an expression of tension and fear, but were quickly changed to relief as the recognition dawned on her. The bright blue eyes wore a similar expression, but instead changed to distrust and fear. The blonde that they belonged to was ready to strike if anything at all didn't go according to her plans. He knew all too well what she was thinking in that moment. Ice blue eyes flickered to the raven head when he heard the fabric of her clothes shifting ever so slightly. She'd taken a step forward and her lip twitched before her mouth opened to speak.

"Hey dude! I've been looking for like, forever for you! I realized I never thanked you for saving me from those black-whatever-they-are, and-"

"Blackwatch" he interrupted. His voice were cold and hard, but he recognized the thin silver lining encasing his word. Whyever he'd put that in a sentence was beyond him, but he could guess it was either for the hope and admiration in the gray eyes that seemed to look into his very soul, or for the blue ones that threatened to lash out at him at any second.

"Blackwatch then, whatever- And I also just now realized I never asked for your name. Who are you?". The tone she used was meant to be friendly, but the underlying distrust was all too familiar to Alex not to go unnoticed. He frowned at this and shut the door behind him, as if pointing out they had nowhere to run. Why he did this was again beyond him. He seemed to have been out of his head for the majority of the last forty-eight hours, and the consequences of that could be fatal. Or at least they should be. The last time he'd been shot with a bullet, it tickled. Hurt, but not in a way that it should've done. He didn't fall to the ground, clutching his wound in unbearable pain. He wasn't like other people anymore. Walking away with a slight limp after being peppered with a hundred .223 caliber bullets wasn't normal. It was inhuman. He was inhuman...

The headache was sudden, and it made him flinch. He blinked and reached up to rub his temple while image after image flashed by his eyes. It wasn't like taking someone's memories, but the pain of the flashback was enough to distract his mind from the people before him. He didn't know how long it lasted, but when his vision cleared again, he met the gray eyes of the ravenhead. The expectation hadn't left them, and he sighed before answering her question; "Alex".

 

-xXx-

 

_Desmond's P.O.V._

He'd barely been standing up for a few minutes and he was already feeling dizzy. It bugged him more than it was an issue, since neither Lucy or Rebecca was here to run the Animus. He rubbed his forehead while leaning on the table with his hand to keep his balance. The undeniable glance from the Brit didn't exactly make it better. While Shaun was a real ass sometimes, Desmond knew all too well the meaning of that glance. He didn't know if he should be thankful or triggered that the words weren't spoken out loud though. Probably both.

"Ever think about lying down, Desmond?".

And there the peace went to trash. He looked up at the Brit and frowned in dislike. "Lie down and just wither away? Yea, that'd get much done" he said and dropped his gaze back down on the table. A news headline in big bold letters stating something about an outbreak caught his attention. He reached for the paper and picked it up to read the full article, but Shaun was quick to snag it away.

"Cause you're being so helpful, standing here n' thrashing my notes" he said, the usual sarcastic tone heavy in his voice. Desmond didn't fail to hear the underlying uneasiness though, and the way Shaun folded the newspaper to put it at a safe distance made him suspicious. 

"Shaun" he demanded. "Where are we?". It was obvious something wasn't entirely right, and he wanted to find out what and why.

"As you were quite quick to comment when we arrived, we're in a basement,  _Desmond_ " came the Brit's brilliant response. He put way too much effort into pronouncing Desmond's name right and was suddenly very interested in an article he'd read at least twice already. The younger male frowned at this. He had known the other long enough to notice the signs. Shaun was generally good at covering things up, but the assassin-to-be had learned to see the details. His experience in the Animus had taught him at least that much. 

He was just about to open his mouth when the door creaked open. While Shaun whipped around and reached for his belt, ready to attack whatever would show up in the door, Desmond looked up from the table and rubbed his forehead with one hand. The high pitched creaking from the rusty hinges felt to his ears like razors cutting through cardboard, and an agonizing headache started to pound under his scalp. His vision had started to blur, and so he couldn't focus on whoever had entered, but he heard Shaun breathe out and saw his tension ease up in the corner of his eye.

The world started spinning again and he cursed under his breath while leaning on the table for support. He heard Lucy and Shaun exchange a few words, but ignored them. His pounding head distracted him from most things around him, and he dropped his head to stare at an article between his hands.  _'Manhattan in chaos'._  Wasn't it this one he had wanted to read before? No, Shaun had put that on the other end of the table. This was another one? It had to be, unless the Brit kept extra copies of each article. And why would there be any reason for him to do that?

A voice in his head told him to straighten up; be prepared. He recognized it. He'd heard it before, long ago. It was in the Animus, back in ... back at Abstergo- The company that had caught and kidnapped him, put him in a strange machine and held him captive for months. He didn't remember- Did he ever even eat..? Did they--

His thoughts were tumbling into a mess and he gave up trying to sort them out. He was feeling too dizzy to put any effort into it anyway. The voice spoke again though, louder this time, and he recalled a memory of a man a few years older than him; the same scar over the right side of his lips and light brown, almost golden eyes that burned with pride. White robes, a brown thick belt around his waist and a red strand of silk or some similar material wrapped under the belt and hanging down in the front and back. It suited him, Desmond realized.

 _'Fight'_ the voice told him.  _'Fight and get up'._  

Desmond couldn't make sense of the sentence. What did it mean? Did it have any significance? He didn't know. He was growing tired and his fingertips were tingling, becoming numb. He heard Lucy's voice in his ear and caught himself almost leaning into it. In his current state, it was rather soothing. He hadn't actually heard what she said, but he allowed himself to be dragged to wherever she wanted to put him. He honestly didn't really care. For the moment, he was quite fine with lying down, and getting some sleep was a more than welcome thought. 

 

-xXx-

 

 _Shaun's P.O.V._   

"Relax Shaun, it's just me" Lucy said as she let the door fall close behind her. Her tone was too tense for just getting back from shopping with her bestie. The corners of her mouth curled up slightly in a faint smile, and she didn't seem to want to make eye contact. He scowled at her, and she mirrored his expression before changing into one of concern.

"Becca infiltrating the templars' lair again?" he asked while keeping his gaze on her as she walked past him to check on Desmond. Shaun had to admit, he didn't look too good. She dismissed him with a snort and urged Desmond to sit back down on the mattress so she could check on his bandages, and he obliged without complaints. He was obviously really not feeling well. At all. No way he'd let her push him around if he was in his right mindset. She muttered while tending to him how much of an idiot he was to have gotten up on his feet before healing properly. Not that Shaun didn't agree, but he didn't exactly see the point of scolding a basically unconscious man.

Shaun exhaled and got back to the table to sort his notes. Desmond had shuffled them about while looking through what articles had caught his interest. What good did it do to keep information from him when it would only lead to him poking his nose where it shouldn't be? It was better to tell him the truth. He would stop being nosy and not go about his own plans to get gutted. That way they all could focus on their tasks without needing to go on a rescue mission and play hero every once in a while. 

In his peripheral vision, he saw Lucy walk over to check on the Animus. When he focused on her, he noticed her movements were tense and stiff, giving him the impression that she was nervous. Had they encountered something out there? She had been angry with Desmond before she left, but not nervous. Did she found out about something and wasn't telling him? News about the chaotic streets in their vicinity? 

Whatever had happened, he was about to find out exactly what as Rebecca appeared in the door frame. Her face wore a smile, but her eyes reflected Lucy's nervous expression. After maybe a second of hesitation, she stepped to the side, and Shaun saw what had made the girls so nervous. Black leather jacket and dark blue jeans. It was the guy from earlier. Shaun had already decided he didn't like him. There was just something ... off about him. His cold blue gaze shifted to Desmond who had once again fallen asleep on the mattress on the floor. The Brit straightened up and subconsciously took a step closer to place himself between his ally and the stranger. Whatever Rebecca had planned from this point on, he didn't like it. Not one bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Didn't quite reach the word limit I'm aiming for in these chapters, but I've spent hours on hours basically just wordpoopin'. Honestly, it's just gonna turn into crap if I write more, if it isn't already. Also, the only reason that this chapter took over a month to write was this **DAMN** writers block. I seriously have it for _EVERY_ story I'm working on ;_;


	7. An Ounce of Trust

"I don't trust him" Shaun hissed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"None of you do, but we don't have a choice, Shaun" Rebecca whispered back, arms folded in a similar manner. She glanced back at the man in black leather who had taken a seat on one of the more rigid cardboard boxes scattered in the corner of the dank cellar room. He had his back toward the door so he was facing the people in the room. He obviously didn't trust them either. Any wrong set of words and he would either snap someone's neck or leave them in an instant. That's what the look on his face told her at least. She didn't doubt that that  _'someone'_  could also be himself.

"I don't know what happened before I came around, and I don't know who held me captive, but I know he was the one who got me out". She paused to bite her lip and sort out what she could tell him and not. Not that she didn't trust Shaun, but the way he looked at Alex was one that gave her chills. The Brit wasn't a violent man, but Rebecca caught herself doubting the safety of the situation if she chose any wrong couple of words.

"Oh yea, he certainly looks like the rescuing type. Maybe he will share the location of the secret Templar base if we ask nicely!". Shaun was clearly not fond of the idea of having the stranger around, and even less did he want to speak with him. Rebecca suppressed a sigh and straightened her stance.

"I don't trust him either, but he knows something that we don't. Lucy says we need any information we can get"

"Rebecca, the last time I trusted a guy in a hood I was bestolen of hundreds worth of candy" Shaun snidely remarked. She just stared at him for a moment. Since when did  _Shaun_  ever have any kind of sweets? "Are you seriously telling me you never went trick-or-treating as a kid? I'm disappointed in you Becca" he said, successfully hiding his mistrust behind the heavy sarcasm. She didn't know if she should scream or punch him. This wasn't the time to make jokes. She suppressed a groan and rubbed her face with one hand.

"Not the time to joke Shaun" she hissed at him. Before he could give his lecture on how sarcasm was - as Becca so neatly once put it - his natural response to fear or uncertainty, she dismissed him with an audible sigh and turned to head back to the center of the cellar. She paused momentarily and turned to him. "Trust  _me_  Shaun. He  _will_  help us" she said. With that the two of them went back to Lucy, who had been sitting in a fold-out chair and keeping a close eye on the outsider. She was probably more of a problem than Shaun, Becca realized.

She was about to open her mouth and speak, announcing why they had assembled here, but didn't even get to push out the first syllable before Alex spoke up. "Blackwatch knows about you". The way he phrased it made it sound like a threat, and Rebecca could practically feel the tension exploding between them. Lucy would undoubtedly want to get rid of him as soon as they had gotten the information they wanted out of him - if he had it. She hadn't trusted him from the start, and now even less. This would quickly become a mess if someone didn't step up.

"And we want to know about Blackwatch. Who are they and why did they kidnap Rebecca?" Lucy questioned, venom in her voice. Becca's eyes flickered between the people in the room, including the more or less unconscious Desmond on the floor. They should probably not let him in on this. He had enough to worry about as it was, with the Apple of Eden and all.

"Calm down Shau--"

"And now he knows my name, thank you very much. Who knows what contacts he has?"

"I don't think he--"

"Don't think? We don't know anything about this guy, and you  _think_  he can--"

"Blackwatch is a black operations unit with military arsenal" Alex interrupted, silencing Shaun and Rebecca. Three pair of eyes were aimed at him where he sat, and he glared coldly back at them. Clearly, not one of them enjoyed this even a bit. Better get it over with so they could work on their own things in the dark corners they felt like sitting in. Rebecca took a breath.

"I'm guessing you mean a  _secret_  operation. Why are they here?" she asked cautiously. Granted, a so-called black operation was only deployed at a location in secret due to the government wanting to hide the cause of their presence. As far as she knew at least, the term  _'black'_  was generally used for any government activity that was hidden or secret. She wondered what the higher forces might be wanting to hide here in New York City. A clench in her gut told her she wouldn't like it.

"Contain a viral outbreak" was the answer provided. This Alex guy wasn't one for words, was he? Rebecca already knew bits and pieces of what was going on at the Manhattan island. She had done some digging before they arrived to make sure it was safe enough to stay. The outbreak thing had been one of the reasons they picked this specific area of New York, since it could conceal them from whoever would be snooping. The government had too much to think about already to care about something as innocent as a van crossing the bridge. Again, how they had done that was still a question without an answer. Shaun must've done one of his tricks in order to pass whatever barricade had been set up.

"Could someone tell this idiot to say something we don't already know?" Shaun spat, looking directly at Rebecca. She wanted to flinch and snort at him. If she had read the stranger correctly, he wasn't gonna bend to pressure. She understood his thinking, but his intentions were questionable. He was literally stuck in a dank room with three skilled assassins with a heavy steel door blocking his way. He would have to be both swifter and stronger than all of them together if he wanted to escape.

A flicker of those cold eyes made her blood freeze. He looked at her for maybe two seconds before turning his attention back to Desmond. There was a tingle in her stomach. A light, skittering feeling that brought her back to--

No no no, stop stop, don't think about that! Information- information and then he was out of here for good. Rebecca mentally slapped herself twice and slowly shook her head.

"Stay out of the streets" Alex said coldly, his icy gaze unwavering. Both of the girls scowled at him while Shaun crooked an eyebrow.

"That supposed to be a threat? Boo, I'm quivering" he said sarcastically. He had his arms crossed over his chest, standing tall and seemingly unmovable. It was strange to see him so confident. Almost as if--

 _Oh..._  Rebecca looked between Shaun and the stranger. The same rigid stature and stern expression carved out of stone. Despite the tension and seriousness of the situation they were in, she almost found herself laughing. The two boys were contesting each other. Figurative sparks shot from their eyes. She doubted that the two had the same intentions or reasons though. This Alex seemed more about... Her eyebrows shot up to her forehead. Answers. He had unanswered questions. What could a man like he possibly want to ask?

It was as if he'd read her thoughts, or at least noticed her expression, for he was quick to stand and turn on his heel, about to head out. Shaun stopped him with a shout. "We're not done with you yet".

If looks could kill.

Rebecca was sure she had just spotted a reddish tint in that frosty blue hue. It disappeared as quick as it came though, and she got the urge to rub her eyes just to see if she hadn't just imagined it all. She saw his teeth grind together, and jaw tensed as if he was about to spit something back, but just then there was movement behind the assassins; Desmond.

Alex was practically forgotten as Rebecca and Lucy rushed over to him. He looked and sounded to be in pain. A lot such too. It didn't surprise Becca though, the wound was apparently deep according to what Lucy had told her. They really had to find a real doctor, sooner rather than later. Depending on how well Desmond was recovering, he wouldn't get any better, but rather worse if he didn't get proper treatment. Maybe Alex could-...

 _'Alex can't be trusted'_ , her conscience scolded. She knew that. He was a complete stranger who just happened to have been the one carrying her when she woke up after being saved. She didn't even know if it was him. Maybe she had been released, and his intentions was actually to kidnap her and--

No, he couldn't... Or could he? She turned her head slightly to glance at him over her shoulder. He was standing with his hand still on the handle to the door, but not as urgent to get out. She didn't doubt he would leave at the slightest hunch of anyone intending harm though. There was an icy fire in his eyes she'd never seen in anyone before. Almost as if he was plagued by constant anger. A will to get revenge. Revenge for what?

Her attention was brought back to a half dazed man as Desmond squirmed where he lay before cracking those brown eyes open. She smiled at him, relieved to see him alive and awake. They had lost enough already, and Desmond was too important to lose. And not just because of his genes.

Lucy held a hand on his shoulder as support when he slowly sat up. Eyes glazed around inspecting the area, either because he tried to recall memories, or because he didn't quite see clearly yet. He grimaced from the pain in his abdomen, a muffled groan clamped between gritted teeth. Rebecca frowned at this. She suddenly felt weak and helpless. There was nothing she could do to help him, either medically or by any other means. She was useless in situations like this, and she sometimes envied Lucy for it. At least she wasn't totally useless.  _Sigh._

Then a bomb figuratively exploded in the room. Desmond's eyes found the figure of the stranger standing at the door, hand now clutching the handle and ready to fling it open. It was a staring contest of about three seconds, Shaun also chiming in by looking back and forth between them with the usual stern expression. It felt like the entire basement was holding its breath in wait for what was about to happen. Desmond was the one to speak first.

"You.." he said, voice a bit hoarse from his vocal chords being stiff from resting. "What did you do to him?". His appearance was threatening, and what he said was surprising. Had they met before? Maybe they had run into each other at some point while Rebecca was unavailable. That seemed to be the most logical explanation anyway, but judging by Desmond's expression and stature, such wasn't the case. Could it have been this man that had hurt him? No way! Alex wouldn't--

But before Becca could whip around and shout at him, he had opened the door and exited the room without a word, silent as a ghost. Shaun shouted at him to come back, striding up to catch the closing door. He pulled it open again and went to catch up with the stranger, Rebecca in tow. Though, as if he'd never even been there at all, Alex was gone without a trace. No sounds of running steps in the stairs, no footsteps in the hallway. All there was was complete silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a damn long time since I posted a chapter of anything. This was long due, and so here it is! The following chapters will be a pain to write, and with all I have going in life with college and everything, it might take as long as it did to get this one done and posted. I'll try to have it done before April, but if I fail...well, you'll unfortunately just have to bear with me.
> 
> Constructive criticism and comments are warmly welcomed! Any and all help and support is what keeps this story going. Thank you xx


	8. Chapter 8

 

Oh hiiii, long time no see. I just thought I'd post an update for any possible readers that's still waiting for a new chapter.

So uuuhh, I guess I could start by saying that **this** particular story will not be updated again. I've had my thoughts if I should delete it, but that's for another time.

A New Manhattan still exists, and it's been updated. I posted the fourteenth chapter this Tuesday, and will continue updating on a weekly basis for as long as possible. You can find it on my profile, or if you're lazy like me, you can click [this link](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15755790). It will take you to the revised and updated version. Not a lot has been changed, but there's a few details here and there. It's all up to you if you wanna reread everything or just resume where you last stopped.

As said, this version might be deleted in the future. We'll see what happens. For now, thank you for reading, and I hope to see you on the new version. Take care.

 

 

~ Aziquesa, aka Taruyison xx


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